INSPIRATION IS FOR AMATEURS

Sometimes, coming up with a good idea feels a bit like pushing a giant boulder uphill.

It. Just. Won’t. Move.

If we’re being real, creation can be downright painful sometimes.

But nothing numbs the pain of doing your best work like a little shot of inspiration.

Ahh, sweet nectar of motivation, let me sip thee!

I think the world is addicted to inspiration. Look on Instagram. Look on YouTube.

The majority of the material on these platforms is palliative in nature. It makes us feel good about what we’re doing. Even if we’re not doing much.

Why?

It feels good to get motivated — even if you don’t do anything or take any action on that feeling.

(Before you say anything about MY Instagram account — YES, I do post motivational quotes. I’m not saying this type of content is inherently bad. When used as a tool to get work done in short bursts, inspiration can be an extremely powerful resource. I just think that we often mistake the tool for the work.)

Perhaps the best thing about inspiration is the deep feeling of focus and clarity you feel when you externalize your reasons for doing something and attribute your work to some source besides your own mind.

Guess what: your work only counts on the days where you DON’T want to do it. It only counts when you’d much rather be doing something else.

The call to your craft is NON-NEGOTIABLE.

When asked how many “reps” he did of a certain exercise, Muhammad Ali famously said, “I don’t know. I only start counting once it starts burning.”

That’s not inspiration. That’s grit. That’s struggle and urgency.

The cold reality is that, sometimes, it’s a real struggle to get your best work into the world.

That’s why so many of us admire great creators, artists and thinkers but so few of us will ever become one.

If you wait to be inspired to do your best work, you’ll be waiting a long time.

Most likely forever.

Inspiration is not coming to get you. But you can seek it out.

The solution: Start the work now.

Do it on the sunny days and the rainy days. Stop giving yourself a “pass” to leave your gifts on the table, unopened. Stop allowing yourself the excuse not to create.

The ironic part is, as you push through the uncomfortable stage (as all students on the road to mastery must) you’ll find that the struggle actually leads to more inspiration — despite the fact that there was none there to begin with.